This invention relates to vehicle door locking assemblies and more particularly to vehicle door locking assemblies of the power-operated type.
A typical vehicle door locking assembly for a vehicle door movable between open and closed positions with respect to a vehicle body opening includes the following basic components. The assembly itself includes a housing assembly which is constructed and arranged to be mounted in the vehicle door. The vehicle door itself has inner and outer manually movable actuating members. The assembly includes a door latching assembly carried by the housing assembly so as to be moved (1) into a door latching position in response to the engagement of a striker in the vehicle body opening therewith occasioned by a movement of the vehicle door into the closed position thereof so as to latch the door in a closed position within the vehicle body opening and (2) from the door latching position thereof into a door unlatching position in order to allow the door to be moved into the opened position thereof. The assembly also includes outer and inner door latch releasing mechanisms which are mounted in the housing assembly to be moved (1) from inoperative positions into latch releasing positions in response to the manual movements of the outer and inner actuating members respectively from inoperative positions into door releasing positions and (2) from the latch releasing positions thereof into the inoperative position thereof.
The outer and inner latch releasing mechanism are operable such that when the vehicle door is closed movement of either from the inoperative position thereof to the latch releasing position thereof moves the door latching mechanism from the door latching position thereof to the door unlatching position thereof to allow the door to be moved to its open position.
The typical assembly includes a mechanical door locking mechanism which includes a key actuated assembly on the outer side of the door and a manual actuated assembly on the inside of the door. The mechanical locking mechanism simply effects a locking action simultaneously with regard to both the outer and inner door latch releasing mechanisms.
Beyond the typical mechanical door locking assembly, there have been many assemblies in which the locking mechanism is powerized by an electrical system energized by a source of electricity on the vehicle, such as the battery. These systems sometimes embodied solenoids and sometimes electrical motors with speed reduction gears. There is a need to provide locking assemblies in which the power operation is more versatile and more universally applicable to all of the various desirable functions which are required with respect to both front doors and rear doors in four door vehicles.
It is an object of the present invention to fulfill the need expressed above. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, this objective is obtained by providing a power-operated vehicle door locking assembly for a vehicle door movable between open and closed positions with respect to a vehicle body opening, the vehicle door having inner and outer manually movable actuating members. A housing assembly is constructed and arranged to be mounted in the vehicle door. A door latching assembly is carried by the housing assembly and is constructed and arranged to be moved (1) into a door latching position in response to the engagement of a striker in the vehicle body opening therewith occasioned by a movement of the vehicle door into the closed position thereof so as to latch the door in a closed position within the vehicle body opening and (2) from the door latching position thereof into a door unlatching position to allow the door to be moved into the open position thereof. The outer door latch releasing mechanism is constructed and arranged with respect to the door latching assembly so that when the vehicle door is in its closed position movement of the outer door latch releasing mechanism from the inoperative position thereof to the latch releasing position thereof moves the door latching assembly from the door latching position thereof to the door unlatching position thereof to allow the door to be moved into its open position. An outer door latch releasing mechanism is provided which is constructed and arranged with respect to the housing assembly to be moved (1) from an inoperative position into a latch releasing position in response to the manual movement of the outer actuating member from an inoperative position into a door releasing position and (2) from the latch releasing position thereof into the inoperative position thereof. An inner door latch releasing mechanism is provided with respect to the housing assembly constructed and arranged to be moved (1) from an inoperative position into a latch releasing position in response to the manual movement of the inner actuating member from an inoperative position into a door releasing position and (2) from the latch releasing position thereof into the inoperative position thereof. The inner door latch releasing mechanism is constructed and arranged with respect to the door latching assembly so that when the vehicle door is in its closed position movement of the inner door latch releasing mechanism from the inoperative position thereof to the latch releasing position thereof moves the door latching assembly from the door latching position thereof to the door unlatching position thereof to allow the door to be moved into its open position. Separate inner and outer door locking mechanisms are connected with the housing assembly. The outer door locking mechanism is constructed and arranged with respect to the housing assembly to be moved between inoperative and outer door locking positions. The outer door locking mechanism is constructed and arranged with respect to the outer door latch releasing mechanism to disable the outer door latch releasing mechanism from moving from the inoperative position thereof into the latch releasing position thereof when the outer door locking mechanism is in the door locking position thereof. The inner door locking mechanism is constructed and arranged with respect to the housing assembly to be moved between inoperative and inner door locking positions. The inner door locking mechanism is constructed and arranged with respect to the inner door latch releasing mechanism to disable the inner door latch releasing mechanism from moving from the inoperative position thereto into the latch releasing position thereof when the inner door locking mechanism is in the door locking position thereof. An electrically operable system is provided constructed and arranged to convert a source of electricity on the vehicle into mechanical motion in response to manual electrical energizing actuations. The electrically operable system is constructed and arranged with respect to the inner and outer door locking mechanisms to selectively move (1) the inner door locking mechanism between the inoperative and inner door locking position thereof in response to inner manual electrical energizing actuations and (2) the outer door locking mechanism between the inoperative and outer door locking positions thereof in response to outer manual electrical energizing actuations, the arrangement being such that an outer manual electrical energizing actuation without a corresponding inner manual electrical energizing actuation causes the door latching assembly when in the door latching position thereof to be incapable of being moved into the door unlatching position thereof by the outer door latch releasing mechanism while at the same time the door latching assembly is capable of being moved into the door unlatching position thereof by the inner door latch releasing mechanism.
Preferably, the assembly includes a key actuated door locking and unlocking assembly which is constructed and arranged with respect to the housing assembly to be moved between a locked mode and an unlocked mode in response to the manual movement of a key therein. The key actuated door locking and unlocking assembly is preferably constructed and arranged with respect to the electrically operable system to provide outer electrical energizing actuations for said electrically operable system when moved away from the locked and unlocked modes thereof by manual movements of a key therein. In addition, it is preferable that the key actuated assembly is capable of overriding the electrically operable system to effect movement of the outer door locking mechanism between its inoperative and latch releasing positions when the source of electricity on the vehicle is no longer available. The key actuated assembly are provided with access from the outside of the front doors. Preferably, the rear doors do not include outside access but instead access to the door only when the door is open as by being mounted to provide access at the edge of the door which is enclosed when the door is closed.
Finally, preferably there is circuitry including a processor which is capable of providing various actuating and deactuating capabilities for the electrically operated systems.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the course of the following detailed description and appended claims.